The Voynich Manuscript: Alien Language, Code, or Nothing At All?

In 1912, antique book dealer Wilfrid Voynich came across an odd item. The Voynich Manuscript, as it is called, was found hidden inside a chest for sale by the Society of Jesus, just outside of Rome. The letters, some of which resemble Latin, are unlike any characters in known language. Currently, the book resides in Yale's Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

Something akin to the DaVinci Code in fiction, this book is the real deal. For decades, scientists and scholars have attempted to figure out what language, if any, is within the book. Only one thing has been determined, and only very recently.

The pages of the book are made of animal skin which make it possible to carbon-date for age. Carbon-14 dating puts the book's creation in the 15th century, roughly between 1404 and 1438. The first book ever to be printed off a press is the Gutenburg Bible, which was created in 1453. The oldest book that we know of? The Diamond Sutra, a scroll printed on paper using wooden blocks in China 1,300 years ago.

So, is it a coded writing? This would make sense for the time period. According to Kevin Repp, curator of Beinecke Rare Book Library, "Fears of heresy or witchcraft among them".

The drawings are suggestive of botanical, marine and even astrological items/creatures. Physicist Greg Hodgins of the University of Arizona said, "Who knows what's being written about in this manuscript, but it appears to be dealing with a range of topics that might relate to alchemy. Secrecy is sometimes associated with alchemy, and so it would be consistent with that tradition if the knowledge contained in the book was encoded".

Computers can't even figure this book out. The language literally doesn't exist and on top of that, the latest coding programs can't find a single code within. Therefore, top researchers are concluding that it might not say anything at all and perhaps there are much smaller codes hidden throughout.